invited to interview but never heard back about a date and time

by Alison Green on September 6, 2012

A reader writes:

I’m in a bit of a pickle. I was invited by email to interview with an organization that I really liked. They asked for my availability on two days, and I responded thanking them for the opportunity to interview and giving my availability (not free on the first day but free all day on the second). The invitation came a little short notice (received email Tuesday for interview on Wednesday or Thursday), and it is now Wednesday night and I haven’t heard back from them.

Should I write this off as a loss, and assume that in between when they invited me to interview and when I responded a couple hours later that they hired someone? Or is it possible that their timeline just got pushed back? Or maybe they are just a little scatter-brained (whatever the business equivalent of that is) and are going to let me know what time my interview is, on the day of the interview. Have you ever encountered this type of thing before?

Oh yes. Enough to officially call it a trend.

The two most likely explanations are:

* Their timeline got pushed back, and they’re not considerate enough to let you know that. They don’t have an immediate need to communicate with you on their side (they’re not ready to schedule these interviews quite as soon as they thought, and while normal people would feel compelled to get back to you to explain that, they’re rude and don’t care), so they’re leaving you hanging. Rude, rude, rude.

* Someone decided they had enough interviews scheduled, and they’re handling it rudely by not getting back to you.

It’s also possible that the explanation is more innocuous — such as that the person who emailed you suddenly went home sick and forget she had those loose ends to wrap up, or some other explanation that’s more about the normal bumps of life than deliberate rudeness. This explanation is less likely, but possible.

Regardless of the explanation, though, I’d say there’s a 50/50 chance that you’ll hear from them again. If you do, be alert for other signs of disorganization.

Meanwhile, though, go ahead and check back with them. Call this morning and say that you hadn’t heard back about a time for your interview and you’d love to nail down a time to meet. (And yes, this is one of the rare occasions where I recommend calling rather than emailing — because they reached out to you about interviewing today and you haven’t had anything confirmed.)

But brace yourself for the possibility that they’re going to basically fall off the face of the earth where communication is concerned. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon.

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  1. Anon*

    This happened to me recently and I understand how you feel. One side of me thinks well no contact isn’t a no so maybe there is still a chance. Its a company I believe in and really want to work for because the product line is brilliant! My head says great product or not it is rude and bad form so does that mean the reality of the workforce is quite a different picture marketing has created.

    1. Anon*

      The company that treated me this way markets themselves as a “Success” Story and believe it or not the product line includes recruitment and “Talent Management” software. Several “Factors” don’t add up…. Marketing hype for sure! I Love working!! but not sure if I would love working here if this is the start!

  2. Les*

    That is annoying. I would take it as a red flag. I had a similar situation where I was asked to interview on 2 days notice. The interviewer offered a time and would give me the specific location of interview after I confirmed. I confirmed via email, and actually requested time off from the job I had at the time to accomodate this interview. I did not hear from them. I waited until the morning of the interview to contact them (via phone and email). I received a rude response to the effect of, ‘No, of course you cannot interview with us today because you responded so late. Why would you think you could?’. I ended up forwarding the email I had sent them promptly after the offer to interview, which set things straight. They had apparently missed reading the email. We had a couple of other coordination attempts that successfully resulted in an interview. The interview was where I realized this disorganization and snide tone were typical of the department and department head. Needless to say, I passed on that one.

    1. V*

      I’ve got a similar story. I was invited for an interview at a major Boston university (a university in boston, not BU, although almost as large) and:

      I took time off to meet at one of the times I was offered. During the phone screen it was made very clear that I worked full time and would have to take time off to come to an interview. Which was no problem of course, but it was clear.

      Two days before the interview, I get a call and email saying that they need to reschedule. No reason, no apology, not even a “sorry for the inconvenience.” They asked me if I could come in the following Monday or Tuesday. I had used my last vacation day to make the previous interview date/time and was not able to take one of the days she offered. Even if I had vacation time remaining, taking one of those days at such short notice (it was Thursday to take off Monday or Tuesday) was impossible.

      I replied, told the internal recruiter that while I would love to come in I would need to either come in before or after work, or put it off another week to give more notice to my employer. I told her I wanted to do whatever I could to make the scheduling work and I was highly interested in the position but just didn’t want to risk my standing at my current job. Apparently neither option was acceptable, without the recruiter even asking exactly how early/late I would have to come in to be considered before or after work.

      Anyhow, I never went in for the interview and was rejected because of these scheduling conflicts.

      When someone is employed and job searching, I know it’s on them to do the dance of vacation time, personal days and seemingly endless medical appiontments in order to get to job interviews. But is it so difficult for an employer to make it a priority not to change an interview when they KNOW a candidate has had to take time off at a job that obviously isn’t working out? Or, if they have to reschedule, to at least be apologetic?

      I find it hard to believe that the high level administrators I would have met with, never come in early or stay late. It’s one thing to demand scheduling accomodations all the time, and (IMO) another to politely present two other options AFTER the employer has rudely rescheduled your interview.

      Moreover, we all know that employers prefer candidates who are employed. This particular employer clearly didn’t make the connection between interviewing currrently employed candidates, and scheduling conflicts.

      Also, this is the SECOND time that this happened with this university. The first time wasn’t a big deal because I was able to make the alternate time that was offered. But the fact that it happened twice, and 100% of the time I worked with them, is a red flag.

      I usually read about employers being willing to accomodate candidates’ schedules, so maybe the rigidity was more of an academia thing. In any event, I am now working at my dream job.

      But that still ticks me off.

      1. V*

        sorry, I meant that I had used my last vacation day to ARRANGE for the previous date and time; she actually called on a Wednesday, and the interview was supposed to be the following day (Thursday).

      2. Candice*

        Reading this story ticks me off. It’s a complete disregard for your time and your (current) benefits. Ugh. Grumble grumble grumble.

        1. LL*

          I had a similar experience last year. In my case, I also had prepaid my own travel arrangements (airfare and hotel) before they rescheduled – TWICE! And they rescheduled with a form email that dictated a new date and time for the interview. No explanation, no apology. Thank goodness I had paid extra for fully refundable reservations.

      3. Dan*

        V,

        You are right. If employers want to hire people with jobs, they have got to be a bit more respectful in this regard. One of these days, I’ll move on from my current job for a bigger paycheck. Thing is, though, as long as I’m employed at my current job, I’m not going to be so desperate that I have jump through every little hoop.

  3. Tamara*

    Definitely call and check your spam/junk folder as well. Although there are many negative possibilities, you want to rule out the others first and both options are rather easy. Email is wonderful, but there can be automated or user errors. I’ve luckily never inconvenienced a candidate before, but I’ve definitely had an email sitting in my drafts before that I forgot to send. As Alison said, there seems to be an unfortunate trend of rudeness, but it doesn’t hurt to check an email folder and make a quick call to try and set your own mind at ease.

  4. Anonymous*

    Is the company expanding? My company has been adding a lot of positions, and the HR department is stretched thin trying to handle all the interviews right now. I wasn’t even sure what time to show up on my first day, lol. But overall, the disorganization there is not at all representative of the company itself.

  5. B*

    This happened to me recently as well. I ended up calling and leaving a very polite message that I wanted to make sure they received my email back as there email had originally been placed in my spam folder. How interested I was in the position and that I look forward to hearing from them. And I did to arrange the phone interview.

    It went well, was told I was being put through to the second round this week, and then silence again. So yes I called again, wanting to make sure an email to me was not lost in cyberspace. And they told me they are still doing phone interviews and the timeline for next round was pushed back.

    Sometimes you just have to bit the bullet and call. Perhaps I am going to look pushy or desperate but I am hoping it makes me look like someone who follows-up and wants the position. Sometimes you just can’t win and need to go with your gut.

  6. LMW*

    This happened to me about a month ago. The recruiter called to schedule an interview for the next day (Friday) or possibly the next week. I was in a meeting, so it went to voicemail. I called back as soon as I was out of the meeting and said I couldn’t get away on Friday but would be happy to interview the next week. Never heard back. Called again Tuesday and left a polite message. Never heard back. I’m still pissy about it a month later.

  7. Amy*

    Hi, OP here, got an email at 9:30 this morning, scheduling me for a 2:45pm interview. I said 2:45 was fine on my end and what address should I go to (the organization has a couple offices in the city I live in) and the email back was a little odd in format/wording, just like the initial invitation email… I wonder if perhaps the person I’ve been emailing with has to follow a strict ‘script’ or something.

    In any case, I’ve got an interview, and I’m going to be on the lookout for more signs of disorganization, just in case.

          1. Amy*

            When they gave me the two days as options, I told them I would be available at any time on the second day…though I’m glad they at least scheduled me for a later interview instead of emailing at 9:30 and asking me to make it through rush hour traffic for an 11:00 interview or something

            1. Ask a Manager* Post author

              Yeah, but that’s why it’s rude. When someone is holding the whole day open, you get back to them with a time so that they can plan the rest of the day.

      1. Jamie*

        Just as a general statement – as frustrating as hiring disorganization is, and it absolutely is, it’s not always indicative of larger problems.

        Sometimes, in smaller companies, it’s just because they don’t do a lot of hiring so when they enter a hiring phase it can take a little bit to shake out who is responsible for what and sometimes things slip through the cracks. I’m not excusing it – just saying that sometimes it’s just crappy because of lack of experience or other issues with a company that doesn’t have regular turnover.

        One instance from my own hall of shame – I was involved in hiring someone and I was given a start date by tptb – so that was what I told the new hire. They weren’t reporting to me, I was just involved in the process and coordinating things. This start date changed three times because, despite my internal pleas to please please be sure things kept coming up with the manager to whom they were to report which delayed it by a week or so.

        I was mortified getting pressure (understandable) from the new hire to assure him there was actually a job and we weren’t screwing with him and pressure (unforgivable) from tptb to make sure he didn’t back out and wasn’t upset.

        At this point in my career I’d do things differently. I’d either have him start as scheduled and work out an alternate training plan until the supervisor was back on-site or I’d put it back into the lap of the reschedulers so they could do their own placating.

        My point is it was an embarrassing mess based on disorganization, not bad faith. And that new hire went on to do very well at that company…so there is hope to some of those rocky starts out there.

        1. Ask a Manager* Post author

          Absolutely. It shouldn’t be a deal-breaker — just a sign to keep your eyes open and make sure you’re not blocking out other indicators of chaos too! If it all seems confined to the hiring process, it really might be.

  8. Amanda*

    Something similar happened to me recently. We set up an interview via phone and they were supposed to email me the skype contact info. Never did so I emailed them the day of and they finally got back to me after I had spent hours worrying that they were going to stand me up. We did have the interview but it was clear from the onset that the interviewer was just not that into me. Also, she had teenagers interview me (it was a youth program coordinator position). Also, I found out at the end of the interview that it was a part-time position (there was no mention of this in the job announcement). I would have happily took on part-time but I would’ve had to relocate to one of the most expensive cities in the US and live off savings until I found a second job. Needless to say, I did not get the job. The whole thing was so strange and I still don’t know what happened–if they weren’t willing to hire from out of state and I was being used to give the kids interview practice or if I had driven them away by being too excited when I received the initial call for the interview. Does anyone have any insight?

  9. nyxalinth*

    This happened to me back in 2006, with a temp agency. I’d sent my resume to one regarding a position and got a call back a few days later. The lady I spoke to adamantly refused to give me the location for the interview over the phone, and insisted on emailing it, even when I told her I’d like to have it over the phone too because sometimes my email was screwy. No dice.

    This was on a Thursday, and all day Thursday, nothing came. So Friday morning–the interview was the very next Monday at 10 am–I called and got her voice mail and left a message that I hadn’t received the info.

    No response all day Friday.

    On Monday morning–I was very annoyed–I sent an email to the effect of “Dear X, I was scheduled to have an interview with company X today. Unfortunately, you never sent me the information I needed in order to attend it. I made two attempts (times and dates) to acquire this information, and you never returned my calls. Therefore, I was unable to attend the interview through no fault of my own. Thank you, Me.”

    I think nowadays I might have been less tart about it, but who the hell does this and why? I mean about refusing to tell me as well as email me. I still tell people I like having the back-up of writing it down, and have never had an issue.

    I wonder if she’d decided I wasn’t right for the position, and didn’t know how to say it after telling me she was sending me to them, and this was her way of backing out?

  10. eve gelman*

    In my experience it is no way to start out an employer /potential employee relationship. If the relationship is starting out in this manner rest assured it probably wont get better if you take a position. I have seen it happen too many times. People call me telling me things like when they joined a company they didn’t even have a desk and phone ready for them. I told them to get out ASAP because it wont get any better. The reader may want to join that company but may be deluded into thinking they have respect for their workers. You can look at all the excuses as to why they didn’t contact her. It is either disrespectful or the company does not have its act together. I say there are companies out there that would love to hire the reader. Why waste your time pursuing a company that is not respectful of others.

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      I’d say it’s one data point, but you need to look for others too. For instance, it’s possible that the OP’s situation was caused by one inept assistant, and in two weeks that person’s boss is going to realize she’s inept and address the problems, as a well-managed organization would do. In that case, what the OP is seeing wouldn’t actually reflect on what it would be like to work there.

      The opposite is also possible, of course — it might be a very accurate reflection. The point, though, is to use it as one data point, not the whole story … especially in a market where most people don’t have the luxury of walking away from every employer who does this.

  11. EM*

    Something like this happened to me. I got an email asking if I was available for X date and time for a phone interview. I responded that I actually was not, as I was scheduled to be in the field (and the position to which I was applying also involved fieldwork, so they should have known the deal) and couldn’t get away to take a phone call, but was available on x and y alternate dates/times. Never heard back from them.

  12. Yep*

    This has happened to me twice recently. Once with a well-known hospital in the NYC area. They set up a time for a phone screen, I took time off work, they never showed, never returned my emails, never apologized.

    Second time was with a large tv company. Emailed me for an interview. Chose a time. Interviewer never called. Never returned my emails. Never apologized.

    Sad thing is, now I expect no one to show or call when I have an interview.

  13. anon*

    Happened to me too, and now I feel better that I’m not the only one. I was emailed about an interview, responded right away that yes, I was available on that day, they were supposed to get back to me about the time and I never heard back. Followed up several times and never got a response. Very weird.

    1. bob*

      What’s most infuriating is that you KNOW someone is looking at the emails you sent and made a conscious decision to ignore you repeatedly.

      That just pisses me off!

  14. Amy*

    Had the interview, and it left a funny taste in my mouth…the woman interviewing me was the person that i’d end up reporting directly to, and throughout the interview, while she never said anything rude, she kept rolling her eyes (not while looking at me directly but while reaching for a glass, pen, etc).

    Not sure if it was a facial tic (I like to give benefit of the doubt, maybe too often), but every time it happened I started to get nervous and thought maybe I had said something wrong. Oy vey

  15. Michelle*

    I’m a little late to the thread, but I experience two somewhat related interactions with potential employers this week and I thought I’d share.

    I applied for a position at a company in late May and was contacted in late July for a phone screen. Time passed and I never heard back so I just assumed they’d chosen other candidates. Then, on Monday, they emailed me to see if I could come in for an interview next week. I replied that I was on vacation, but maybe we could work something out for later in September. They replied that the hiring manager had chosen September 11th for interviews and was too busy to do interviews at any other time. They would try to fit me in but no guarantees. I haven’t heard back.

    Yesterday, I received an email from a different company, stating that an interview had been scheduled for Noon on Friday (i.e. today) and to confirm my attendance by 5pm yesterday (so less than 24 hours notice to prep for the interview and book time off). Luckily, I’m allowed to check my personal email and cell phone during work hours, otherwise I wouldn’t have read their email until after 6pm – too late to confirm. They also mentioned that interviews would not be rescheduled, regardless of the circumstance. I’m headed to the airport as I type this and I wasn’t going to cancel my flights/vacation plans on such short notice, so I declined the interview. Vacation aside, it would’ve been really difficult to schedule time off with less than 24 hours notice.

    Neither of these jobs were my dream job so I’m not too disappointed. I’m also currently employed so I can still pay the bills. I get that people are busy, but it seems short sighted on a hiring manager’s part to have an “out of town, out of luck” policy about this stuff. I guess it’s all a product of today’s job market.

    1. Michelle*

      *experienced

      Oh, and a few years ago, I received an interview notice via email – no address was provided but they listed an interview date/time, names of interviewers and two contact numbers. Called the numbers to confirm, left voicemails….didn’t hear back.

      I found the company’s address online and showed up for the interview anyway. They had *no idea* who I was or what position I was interviewing for. I pulled out a copy of the email that I’d received. Someone had an ‘ah-ha’ moment and I was interviewed anyway, but the whole experience was just so disorganized and odd. I’m glad I didn’t get that job.

  16. Karen*

    I am not sure if the thread is still active but since I am getting into same situation, I need some help/ advice from professional perspective.
    I got the invitation on Friday for an interview on Monday. I emailed her to confirm but then realized she didn’t indicate the location. However I haven’t got any reply from her since my last confirmation. Should I send another email or call asking for location on Saturday or Sunday? Guess Saturday and Sunday is not good time to call, but should I wait until Monday morning to call?

  17. ig*

    Hi.
    After being asked back for a 2nd interview, I never heard back about what time or when except that HR was trying to schedule the 2nd interview for me with the VP. After a couple of email attempts to contact the company, I was told they are still waiting to hear back from VP on his schedule. This went on for about a month.
    There wasn’t a no, but why the hold up for so long? Still waiting back to hear from HR who said that they are waiting back from VP.
    ???

  18. ig*

    Thanks, I know.
    Next time a company asks me why I have time off on my resume of not working… I will tell them “schedule conflict” ha ha.

  19. seeking employment*

    Hello, I was asked immediately after sending my resume if I would be available for a telephone interview, my reply was yes. My interview was scheduled a couple of days later. I prepared and waited for the call. No call. I called the interviewer to find out that their phones were out of order and that she was out ill. As a result, I emailed the rep and she rescheduled another interview a couple of days later. I did a repeat of preparation and did not receive a call. I waited 4 days after a no call and sent an email to the rep asking if this slipped through the cracks, another problem was encountered if I should take this personal. I was then sent another email just simply saying are you available today @ 3:00. I responded yes and that I look forward to speaking with her. NO CALL AND ONLY ONCE AN APOLOGY. I can’t believe that she could not come up with something creative to dismiss me!!! I’m finished of course and wouldn’t want to work for their company if they paid me $500,000 to fill that particular position. I’m not finished yet – I will make a notation on glass door as well as to the highest corporate individual that I can reach. By the way, I did mention to her that I knew that she was not obligated to respond to my email but and that it was a little disturbing that I did not get any type of response. UNBELIEVABLE that a supposedly professional would be so disrespectful and unsympathetic to another unemployed professional. I have never encountered such an unprofessional act in my life when dealing with an H.R. Rep or anyone who is representing their company to the public. I can’t change how a person acts but I sure can hope to contact people who can help that person to become a better person and professional.

  20. Liza*

    Same here. I applied, attended two successful interviews and completed three test assignments (10 hours of weekend/evening work). I was asked if I was available for a final interview the following week. I said yes, looking forward to it, etc…. And two weeks later… Nothing. I followed up but my email was ignored.
    It is very frustrating.

  21. Julie*

    I’m in a similar situation right now — but with a twist. I really want this job with a very small company. I called their office on Thursday and the owner answered the phone and we had a good talk and he asked me if I could meet him and his partner next Wednesday.

    He was running into a meeting and asked me to email him about figuring out a time. He said he would email me back as soon as he got out of his meeting.

    He didn’t email so I emailed him this morning (Friday) again to ask if he received my email and when he’d be free to meet on Wednesday.

    How much time should I give him before I call again?

    As a quick note that may be relevant — he spent a good amount of our conversation complaining about problems he’s had with people in this position — he hates to micromanage and wants someone who can work independently without constantly needing his help. So obviously I don’t want to come off as annoying and high-maintenance!

    What should I do? Any help is much appreciated!

  22. Julie*

    Quick update! I decided to give their office a call today and spoke with his partner, who scheduled my meet for next Wednesday! Now to nail that interview! :D

  23. abk*

    I am in a similar situation now. I have completed 2 phone interviews, which both went really well. In fact, the last interview was with the person who would be my manager and she offered me an in-person interview on the spot and asked if I was available Friday. I said yes and she said that she would have the recruiter work out the details. The recruiter emailed me right away and said would you be able to meet this Friday at 2:30pm. I confirmed and then I heard nothing back from the recruiter on the location and logistics of the in-person interview. I emailed Thursday afternoon to follow-up and he emailed me saying that one of the interviewers would not be able to make and he had to reschedule the interview for the following week and asked for my availability. I emailed him back and said it was not a problem and provided my availability, which was everyday except for Friday. Thursday of the following week comes by and I still heard nothing from the recruiter. I sent another email and then I get a call from the a senior recruiter asking if I was still interested in the position because it is contracted for 1 year. I found that to be really odd, considering I had two phone interviews and in my opinion told them how excited I was about the position. Anyways, I reassured her and she said that the original recruiter would be in contact with me. Friday afternoon I still heard nothing, so I decided to email them again to reassure them about any apprehension they may have had about me not being committed to the 1 year contract. Tuesday of the following week comes and I still have not heard anything. Now this is a big Fortune 500 company and I realize that they are probably very busy. But isn’t it odd that I was scheduled and in-person interview by the manager I would be working for and then the recruiters decided that I might not be committed?! What should I do?! Should I follow-up again? I don’t want to sound desperate, but this is a great opportunity and a real resume builder. Ugh!

  24. Murali*

    This actually.. kind of happened to me recently. I got an email from this place me and my friend were planning to volunteer at – we handed in our forms – and I got an email saying that there were two dates for a group meeting and that I should send them an email back on which date I most preferred. I have school, and I noticed the time was at 2 so I asked if there was anyway to postpone it. She asked me for my schedule to accommodate me and I never heard back from her.
    I even told her that if it can’t happen, I’d be happy to leave school early. (Not happy, but willing!) .. And I never got an email back. Not even a cell phone call. Needless to say, I still have to find 40 hours of my community service.

  25. Rose*

    Not sure if this thread is still a active but I’m in a similar position and would like some advice. I applied to a job at my dream company back in the beginning of March. I didn’t hear back and wrote it off. However this Tuesday I got a call asking to schedule an interview. I was away from my phone so the call went to voicemail. The lady in her message apologized that it took so long to call me but that they were reorganizing the company etc etc. I called back with a date I was free and I haven’t heard back to confirm the date or to find out if its on the phone or in person (the job is out of state). It’s now Thursday. The company claims they get in touch with every candidate, even to say they didn get the job. And the almost 4 months wait for a call back shows that they take awhile. My question though is should I call back to confirm the interview time or should I just wait to hear back?

  26. Ross*

    I have the same problem only mine is with the Virgina state government! They called me on Monday to set up an in-person interview. I confirmed for Friday afternoon. The clerk said she would email me instructions and I have yet to receive them. I checked my SPAM. I’m doubling over in worry and anxiety. I called and left a message yesterday. Still no email. I want this job. I need this job. This can’t be life. Sigh…Any suggestions?

  27. Alex*

    hey guys wanted to pass this by and see if you’ve ever experienced this,

    I was contacted by a recruiter of a company that I’d really like to be a part of for a telephone interview on Sunday and we arranged an interview for tuesday afternoon. On tuesday, i got an email from the recruiter asking to reschedule the interview because of a corporate meeting that he had to attend and I followed by stating that I was available all week and I also asked what day and time would work out best for him. I still have not heard back from him and it worries me that perhaps I am being passed over.

  28. Joey*

    I received an email asking if I’m available for a phone interview at a particular time of a particular day and I just so happen to be busy that particular time so I asked if another time was possible. He then emailed back asking if another day was ok and I said it works as long as it’s after noon since I was busy that particular morning too. I have not heard back from this particular person since. It’s now been 3 days. Should I just call and be like hey what’s going on considering they aren’t responding to email? Can it be possible that they are just busy and haven’t had time to schedule me in? Or are they offended that I just so happened to be busy the two times they wanted to schedule me for an interview and don’t want anything to do with me anymore? I mean a job is important, but I could not drop these previous commitments I made since they were important….surely they understand ?

  29. Anonymous*

    I finally heard from a company that I’ve been wanted to be part of on Friday. They left a voicemail on my phone, I called them back and had a preliminary phone interview. I told them the truth regarding my termination at my previous job (which was minor and had nothing to do with my performance). They understood. He asked me several questions and said, “Can you come in next Friday?” Then he said, “Wait, let push you up a few days. Can you come in at 3PM on Tuesday.” I said, “yes” and that I was looking forward to meeting him. He said he had to talk to the manager and that he would email me a confirmation along with a copy of the complete job description. I never heard back on Friday and today is Monday and still no email. The interview is tomorrow and I don’t know what to do. I should mention that this job is “exactly” what I did at my previous job. I have the required BS degree that they require and I fit this job perfectly. I did leave a message today at 1:30pm and left a voicemail but still no call. I don’t want to just show up plus I don’t know where to go because it’s a huge complex that this major food company has. Any suggestions or feedback??

  30. Kim*

    I was in a similar situation recently. My first interview went well and the interviewer said that he would love to have me back for a second interview after they had finished interviewing the other candidates that week. The next day, I contacted the manager to thank him for the interview and to let him know my schedule for the next couple weeks. I never heard anything back, so I’m assuming that they chose one of the other candidates. Why did the manager even bring up the subject of a second interview?!? Needless to say, this company is now on my shit list. It’s a bit of a red flag that they don’t deliver on their promises.

  31. Christine*

    I’m currently in this situation – except I think I may have been offered the job. The description said that only those who were successful would be contacted. I was contacted 10 days after applying. I received a voicemail from the recruiter, and could only check it after 5pm so decided to write an email – and found that he had already emailed me with reference to the call, asking if I could come in for an informal talk or if not just speak on the phone. I apologised for not being available to talk, and replied enthusiastically that I would love to come in. He replied the next morning (a Friday) stating that this was fine, would I be free on Monday or Friday, and re-iterating that if not a telephone call would be fine. I gave him my availability on those days that same morning, and he hasn’t gotten back to me. Tomorrow is Monday. Should I have swapped enthusiasm for a meeting with the easy telephone call? I’m so worried, it is a matter of being unemployed versus my ideal, dream position.

    1. Christine*

      They actually got back to me, asking to just speak over the phone and apologising for the late reply. Happy to be on to good side of a 50/50 chance.

  32. Arron*

    First of all, thank you for creating this! I’m sure everyone who has been on this site came across it because they searched “Got invited to an interview, but didn’t receive any other details” or at least something to that effect. So again, thank you. It’s great to know i’m not the only one.

    Secondly, i’m currently in this position as well. I received an email from a recruiter last Thursday about a position (that I didn’t apply to directly, but they saw my resume in their system, and thought i could be a good fit). We had a phone screening that day, and I thought it went well. They said they are looking to do an interview day the next week, and would confirm in the next day. Friday came with no response. I followed up on Monday, and they had said they are still finalizing with the managers, and I should hear back “soon”. Now it’s Thursday night, and the interview is suppose to be tomorrow. I am assuming it’s not happening, and i’m not sure how best to follow up with them. I understand they have to coordinate several managers and several candidates for various positions all on this one day, but i’m not sure why it’s so difficult to just let me know “we can’t confirm for this week” and continue to lead me to believe one thing.

    After reading everyone else’s stories, i’m saddened that recruiters feel that this is okay.

  33. anon*

    I have a similar situation, except mine was a message from a phone call. I got a message saying we received your resume from monster.com and said that they were inviting me to an interview for our company on Wednesday. However, the caller who left the message did not explain any further details (i.e. time of interview, location of company to be interviewed, etc.) Would this fall under the same category?

  34. Ginna*

    I just found this topic…wow, I just had a situation like that, I think it’s not very nice to keep the applicants waiting for an email to set up date and time for an interview. I replied the email I received to invite me for an interview, with the day and time that was good for me and my activities. After 3 or 4 days I had no reply yet.
    I called the company, since I didn’t hear from them, just to confirm the appointment -or that they give me a diff time/date- I asked for a vacation day to attend the interview (And I didn’t receive a confirmation yet from the new company) so it was important to me to know if someone will be able to interview me or not (then I save that vacation day for a next time). When I call, the secretary tells me “You are not supposed to call, just wait for an answer by email from the recruiter. Please do not attempt to call us again” and she said Bye and hung up.
    They didn’t email me back, and what was my mistake? TO GIVE THEM A CALL!

  35. Asha*

    Hi, I’m in a similar situation. I got an invitation from a company for an interview, this was on Thursday and today is MOnday and the interview day is this Thursday. I confirmed my availability. The didn’t reply with the time or address, should I contact them or give them another day??? This interview is a big deal to me. what should i do?

  38. ginger*

    I just received an email saying that if the job position interested and qualified me to email and that if I have that type of experience I look forward to extending to you an interview…

    How do I politely ask for a date, time and place.

  39. Anonymous*

    Curious if anyone has advice for my situation. HR rep emailed 2 days ago inquiring my availability for interviewing week after next. I responded the same day but never heard back to confirm date/time of my next interview. I called the HR rep as it’s been 2 days with no response and this seems like odd behavior for a recruiting professional. I was sent to voicemail. The outbound message stating the HR rep is out of the office with no access to voicemail until the Thursday before my interview was supposed to happen. I didn’t leave a voicemail since I figured she won’t get it anyway. Should I have left a message now or wait until she’s back? Seems rude to not tie up this matter before leaving town. Likewise I’m concerned about this company now. If these lapses in communication happen now when they are trying to draw you into the company how will it be when you work there full time? Plus they keep reposting the job with additional skill requirements. Seems like they aren’t fully satisfied with the candidates qualifications they have so far. Overall feels very disorganized.

  40. MR.X*

    I got a called about a job opportunity on Friday and they said I would get a call back on monday about the details and location of the company for an interview/test. Its already Wednesday and still nothing, they gave me the company name but the # I looked up shows something else. Should I call or email the company I was told about or just consider this a loss and move on?

  41. David*

    Very common place — HR people are a breed on to their own…also, a sign of disorganization within the company. My view, if that is how they are when they are trying to recruit you, what will it be like when you are actually there?

    Bottom line, if they want you, they will contact and reach out somehow.

  42. Anon*

    Hello! Something similar happened to me with a second interview. The first one was held at a showroom of a very well-known brand who pride themselves with excellent customer care and heritage.
    They let me wait for 30 minutes and I was nearly leaving. The interview itself went very well and I was informally invited to come back for a second interview and was told a date when I will be contacted. Haven’t heard back from them and the first interview was a month ago.
    In my situation I decided that I would not get in touch with them because

    1) The level of respect you get during the interview is the level you’ll get once you’re employed, if not even worse. If you’re made to wait and people won’t get back to you, then this will happen when you need help as employee.
    2) They seem to care only about customers who leave money with the company, but not the staff who are the driving force.
    3) I found it very hypocritical for them to talk so much about customer care and an outstanding experience, but then give me a lukewarm reception. Even if I don’t get a job, I’m still a potential customer to them…they seem to have forgotten it.

    All in all, I appreciate when interviewers stay in touch and keep on communicating -simply because I expect my employee to have a little respect for their staff. Anything else makes them look like cowards and those aren’t people anyone should want to work for.

  43. Anon*

    Yes, experienced this recently also with being invited to a second interview. The company actually contacted me in the first instance based on a recommendation, asked me to meet with them, a week later offered a time for a second interview and then fell off the face of the earth when I agreed and replied to confirm a time. Even though they asked me first I didn’t take that for granted, I approached the entire thing as a legit interview and a valuable job opportunity. I think it’s extremely disrespectful to not reply when it takes about 30 seconds to just say “thanks, see you then,” or “actually, that time isn’t good anymore, can we move it?” or “sorry, actually we’re no longer interested in meeting with you, but thanks for your time.” It takes 30 seconds. And I was diligent in following up – I replied very shortly after they offered me the 2nd iv, when I didn’t hear anything I sent a friendly follow-up the next day (Fri), then called Mon morning and left a message with the receptionist, but still never heard back. So, basically it was just lazy and unprofessional behaviour on their part. Just because someone isn’t working doesn’t make their time less valuable than yours, especially when you’re the one whose contacted them, not the other way around. I think its awful that this rude attitude toward candidates is so prevalent. But at least it’s a clear red flag that they are not professional and don’t have the kind of company culture you want to be a part of – if they don’t mind wasting your time, then don’t bother wasting yours on them, move on.

  44. Purr purr purr*

    This just came up in a Google search. A company called me to ask me a few questions about my application and then we decided on a Skype interview date (tomorrow). The woman I spoke to promised to confirm it by email and I still haven’t heard. Now I’m wondering if I have that interview or not – perhaps she didn’t want to tell me to my face that I’m not suitable and so went through the pretense of arranging an interview? I guess I’ll find out tomorrow. Having been through this situation before and then ultimately being hired only to find the company were seriously disorganised, I’m paying close attention!

  45. Suzy*

    I am in a similar situation. I was invited for an interview via e-mail, and I replied with my availability, but still haven’t heard back. I get the feeling that they are no longer interested, and I don’t want to bother with this, so I am just gonna write them off. I am pretty sure they got my e-mail. I have asked some friends, and they told me to call them, but my gut feeling tells me no. The thing is the chance of them not getting my e-mail is like 10%, and 90% that they did. So, 90% that they are no interested. If they are not interested, and if I call them, it is just going to be awarkd, so forget it. Also, not calling them also given them the another chance to request for another interview because they might be really into another candidate right now, but if later the candiate they are really interested turns out to be not so good, then I might be next in line. If I call them now, and the awarkdness surfaces, then the realtionship is ended. They would feel awarked to e-mail me for interview again even if they found out the one they thought was good turned out to be bad and they would like to give me a try. How I came up with this idea is that I got a job offer this way a long while ago. What happened was I was interviewd and then didn’t hear back for the employer like a month, and I never bother to call them. Then later the manager called and apologiezed that it took so long and offered me the position. Then later I found out the insider story from my co-workers that the first one my manager hired wasn’t suitable for the job and the environment and left, so I was next in line. So, that is where I learned that write them off and waiting isn’t so bad. I guess another way to see it would be imagine that you are the manager, if you didn’t get back to someone, wouldn’t you be kind of annoyed if they call you and kind of ask you how come you didn’t get back to them? It is like someone pointing out your lack of etiquette, and you are the Manager, and would you be excited to welcome someone to work with you who points or go after your management strategy that is lack of etiquette? I think for managers who choose not to get back to applicants is a kind of management strategy.

  46. DSM*

    Same thing happened to me. Email out of the blue asking me to come for an interview. I wrote a well constructed reply saying that I would be happy to come in for an interview.. they replied the next day asking if next Thursday was good, I said yes next Thursday is fine, I am free all day what time is best for you.. Never heard back from them again even after 2 follow up emails. Bizarre. I tried ringing and the guy was apparently in a meeting. Just cut my losses. Would rather be unemployed than work for a shambolic company that can treat people like that. Can’t believe how often this seems to happen.

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